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People, I’m no good. I’m terrible news, a bad influence and possibly everything that your nutritionists, cardiologists and mamas warn you about. There I was, like most people with a pulse, enjoying the heck out of some Nutella on a slice of bread at my in-laws last weekend and I thought, you know what would make this even better? Peanut butter. I mean, is there any question that the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is at the very center of American hearts, gullets and junk food aisles? And then I thought, But it’s January. You’re getting in a bathing suit in a month. This is terrible idea. But then I reasoned, Well, it’s not like I have to eat more than a spoonful. Surely, it’s possible so exercise some self-control around chocolate and peanuts. Guys, I’m really funny sometimes, aren’t I?

So I started looking at recipes for homemade Nutella — pardon me, the non-trademark-protected gianduja paste — which is the smooth and shiny combination of hazelnuts and cocoa loved all over the world. I was surprised to find approaches, as well, all over the map. Some used honey, some began with a caramel but two techniques in particular caught my eye: one in which ground nuts were mixed with just cocoa, sugar and oil, quite close to the ingredient list of jarred Nutella and a very simple one from Martha Stewart, which relied on sweetened condensed milk for its body. I decided to make the Martha version second, but never got there because my mother (who was hanging out for the afternoon) and I never got our spoons out of the food processor bowl from the first batch long enough to even consider if it was less than perfect.

Needless to say, I’m recommending the first method, which is to roast peanuts (or toast them further, if they’re already roasted) and then liquefy in them in a food processor. Yes, liquefy; that word came up in a few recipes I thought these writers were taking literary license. Sure enough, if you keep grinding beyond the paste that you’re usually trying to avoid when cooking with ground nuts, eventually, it becomes a puddle and peanuts, with their high oil content, even more so. It was sloshing and splashing up the sides of the food processor before I added cocoa, powdered sugar and salt and some oil to smooth it out and lo and behold: peanutella. I don’t need to tell you what happened next, do I?

Chocolate-Peanut Spread [“Peanutella”]
Adapted from a bunch of sources, but closest to this from the LA Times

To say what is probably obvious, peanut qualities range. Cocoa qualities range. Salt preferences range. Flavor preferences range. This is an easily tweaked recipe. I ended up using a bit more sugar than I’d expected, and more oil (as in, I’d expected not to need as much as usually suggested due to the high fat content in peanuts but still used three tablespoons). I wanted more salt and wished I’d found better peanuts to start with, but you know, a balmy high of 20 degrees this weekend doesn’t exactly motivate one to hunt down the best ingredients. I can assure you that this is no less loved, despite it’s average peanut base, and no more likely to only be eaten in the moderate spoonfuls promised. Oops.

Probably makes 1 3/4 cups, but it was down to a scant 1 1/2 cups before I bothered to gauge the volume

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the peanuts evenly over a cookie sheet and roast until they darken, about 10 minutes, rattling them around a bit halfway through to they toast evenly. (If you, like me, were unable to find raw peanuts, just toast them for a 5 minutes to deepen their flavor.)

Transfer the peanuts to a food processor and grind them for about 5 minutes. First they’ll become a paste and will cause any toddler in your midst to have a meltdown from the ruckus. Then they’ll become more of a paste and finally, they’ll liquefy. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Add the cocoa, sugar, salt and two tablespoons of the oil to the food processor and continue to process until well blended, about 1 minute. Add more salt if needed. Add the last tablespoon of oil if the consistency seems too thick.

Store in refrigerator up to a week in a covered container. When it is full chilled, like peanut butter, it will become thick and swipe with a teaspoon will leave a telltale impression. Look, I’m just warning you, okay?

wow. this looks profitable. remove this recipe off of your blog, jar it up and try selling it and i think you’ve got yourself (another) successful product. in the meantime, i’m gonna try making this at home for sure. thanks! :D

I must have died and gone to Heaven! Yes, like you, I’ve wondered why the whole chocolate-and-hazelnut thing and not the OBVIOUS chocolate-and-peanut butter thing. I’m off to gather ingredients and ready myself to lick the spoon. And thanks for the refrigerated tip. Gotcha!

My god, my fiancee gets home from FL tonight and he’s going to flip when he finds this! And think of all the nutty possibilities, almonds?! macadamias! Cashews?! Crazy chocolatey goodness! Thank you Deb, congrats on the book deal!

Seriously! Oh, but I can see how this happened. Visits from my mother somehow cause the calorie counts of what I prepare and eat to skyrocket. However, I’m going to make this without my mother present, so I won’t have to share it.

My grandparents are from Quebec and I have many a-fond memory of a “French” breakfast when visiting them in grade school that consisted of peanut butter and nutella on a thick piece of toasted french bread. I’m going to have to make my own peanutella and reminisce, thanks Deb!

WOWZA!!! Is it weird if I say I love you? You are beyond phenomenal. *giggle* How much do I like this recipe post? “two million hundred thousand” as my toddler says when I ask him if he knows how much I love him. Thanks for creating & sharing!

A nutella and peanut butter sandwich is my ultimate “this is totally dessert but because it’s between two slices of wheat bread I’m eating it for lunch” indulgence, and a little drizzle of honey between the two layers is heaven.

I don’t know why I never thought of actually combining the two spreads into one kick ass condiment before, but once again, you have pulled through for me with yet another recipe of pure genius. I can’t wait to try this!

Wow! Nutella is a staple in our home, but the kids actually like the kind found in Italy rather than the US, I think it has less sugar. I’d never thought of making it myself….. Hmn…. I wonder how this recipe would work with almonds?

I used Dutch-processed cocoa because that’s the best stuff I had. You can use either. There’s no chemical reaction here, just use whatever you’ve got that has the best chocolate flavor.

Two selling points I forgot to mention (because, you know, chocolate and peanut butter are such a hard sell!):
1. This is dairy-free, as someone already noted. Even Nutella has some skim milk powder or somesuch in it. Great for folks who can’t or won’t tolerate dairy.
2. This is much smoother than homemade Nutella. Likely due to the softness/oil content of peanuts, I was surprised by how smooth they could be ground up without fancy factory machines. Smoother even than some natural peanut butters from a jar! Most homemade hazelnut spreads still have a bit of grit. Here, it’s barely noticeable.

Completely unrelated: My husband informs me that he read that Richard Blais from Top Chef eats a banana with Nutella for breakfast everyday. Like I need another reason to root for him!

How ironic is it that I am reading this while eating a spoonful of Nutella that I swiped and snuck into the room with the computer so my kids didn’t see!! Just yesterday I said, “Who has been eating the Nutella with a spoon, I just opened it!” I have a Trader Joe trip coming this week and they have raw peanuts – yeah!! More chocolate goodness for me to hide and blame on someone else!

Peanut Butter and Co. makes a dark chocolate peanut butter that I love. When people ask how I would serve it I truthfully reply, “With a spoon.” The scary terrifying thing is yours looks better, smoother, creamier, more deadly even.

No offense, but this is the first post in a long time that I didn’t immediately look for the baby picture. Oh my. There has to be some peanuts in this house somewhere. Why didn’t someone think of this sooner?

yummm! thanks. Question. Do you think my little mini grinder can handle this or do I need to break down and get a food processor. I also have that little grinder thing that comes with the immersion stick. Hmmmmmmm. This would make a lovely gift and I know someone (college aged) who has a roomate that keeps stealing his nutella.

I have to wonder, for the food-processor-impaired (or really lazy), whether you could just mix a good-quality peanut butter with a crapload of cocoa. I may have to try this — even if it doesn’t come out, I bet it’ll still be at least kinda tasty.

(Funny how I’ve been just fine without a food processor all my life, cooking all sorts of things, and yet in the past few months, just about every darned recipe I come across DEMANDS a food processor and can’t really be made without one. Wonder what gives? An insidious plot by food processor makers?)

I’ve been wanting to try homemade nutella, but was worried about the texture. It’s sounds like using peanuts avoids all that, so I may just have to try. Of course, I would then need to give it away, so I didn’t eat all of it.
For those who haven’t found the Jacob shot yet, it’s in the 2nd paragraph of the recipe directions under the ingredients.

You’re so bad…..that’s why I love you. I hate to say this but have you tried Justin’s chocolate peanut butter spread? It’s sooooo good. But I am going to have to make this. Thank goodness I run marathons.

Argh! Just today I’d begun to exercise some restraint around excess calories, and whammo, here’s this recipe. Sigh. Thanks a lot. ;)

Seriously, though, I’m thinking I’ll experiment with an almond version, I think the peanut variety would likely be too much temptation for my dad and me. At least with the almonds, I’d be the only one at risk of gluttony.

I know that this is absolutely not the case, but, it’s like you have long-distance ESP, as I was thinking just the other day that it shouldn’t be too tough to make homemade Nutella, and then this post comes along, with its perfect timing and irresistible substitution of roasted peanuts. Oh, look – a run-on sentence. That’s how you can tell if I’m excited about a recipe … babbling that waits for no punctuation.

Very funny that Lael mentioned wondering how this would taste with almonds, because that’s just what I intend to try out! I’ve had the Peanut Butter & Co. version of this, but wasn’t wowed by it.

FYI—the big difference in the Italian nutella product is they use real sugar. For years, the US version has HFCS. They’ve eliminated it now, but they still use palm oil. Now time to go roast some almonds.

One last question, I wonder how this would taste with Spanish peanuts?

This looks absolutely divine! We have a jar of Nutella in the house and the only thing stopping me from eating all of it is my low carb diet. But this! I can make this sugar free!!! I love your site! And have I mentioned I adored and am still dreaming of when I made that peanut chocolate cake you made for Alex? yes.

Smitten, you’re awesome. You’re a recipe for foodie-fun, a good influence in favor of levity in the kitchen, and quite possibly my most favoritest food blog, but since the only blogs I read are food blogs, well there you have it.
There I was, like most people after a 12 hour day, enjoying the heck outta some slow cooker stuffed cabbage but it’s really just seasoned meatballs on collards with tomatoes on top when I thought, you know what would make this even better? Stuffing my face and catching up with The Smitten. And looking for the ‘hidden’ link to see the latest cute pic of Jacob. :)
My Opal screams bloody murder when I turn on my food processor too. Toddlers. Go figure. Someday, they will make the connection between the noisy machines and then having delicious treats to enjoy and won’t -that- change their attitudes, hm?

Totally making this ASAP. Lately I have been spreading half a tortilla with peanut butter, sprinkling it with dark chocolate chips, and nuking it for 15 seconds so it’s all melty. This will be so much better :)

I periodically dig into your recipe file and stare at the peanut butter crispy bars because ever since I made them, I’ve used the two frostings together on other bars. I just love the flavor of that recipe’s combo (I do use the semi sweet instead of the milk chocolate, too) I’ve wondered how I could work that into a spreadable mix. Could peanut butter be used in this replacing the oil and peanuts? Cheating, I know.

I scoured this post three times, panicked a little bit, looked again… got ready to post a comment… searched one last time and, oh yes, there it is… my Jacob fix was hiding in the recipe instructions! I sighed out loud, relieved. That kid is like a drug!

AWESOME! The commercial stuff doesn’t contain much in the way of nutty goodness, so for the longest time I’ve been pairing peanut butter with Nutella to boost the nutritional value… I’ll be doing this from now on… maybe using palm sugar…

Is there any way you think this would work with soy nuts (beans) or sunflower or sesame seeds???? My four-and-a-half year old very picky eater loves Nutella on whole-grain bread (that makes it a “healthy” meal, right?), but I can’t send her to preschool with it because of the ban on tree nuts. Any ideas on ways to make this nut-free?

This looks like heaven on a spoon!!! Making this will certainly save me the trouble of making Nutella and Peanut Butter Sandwiches, which people have, oddly enough, always found to be a little strange. Oh well, to each their own; that just means more for me!

I just finished my bottle of Nutella tonight! I was going to buy a new one when I went grocery shopping tomorrow, but instead I think I’ll make this! Since my Nutella habit is running at about one small bottle a week, I think that this might end up being more cost effective hehe.

Ah yes!!!
Did you know that when this is gently stirred in biscotti mix it becomes heaven?
I found out that heaven indeed has a flavor!!!
Try it sometime…I made these for when my kids come to visit on the 12th of feb but its lookin like they aint gonna make it that long LOL
Nor are the bagels that I made to use this awesome recipe of yours on…LOL
Good thing I get paid before they get here so I can make more.
Awesome….simply awesome!
Imma not too worried about the waist line so all goes there.

ZOMG! Yummmmm I am one of those people that cant buy Nutella because if I do I end up taking to it with a dirty big spoon until it is ALL gone! I just cant help myself. My other great love is peanut butter and chocolate everything especially Reeces products.So now that you have me drooling over my laptop I am going to have to make this one!
Thanks for the post, amazing!

I got a food processor for my one year anniversary- I know, how progressive :)
And I fully plan on making this treat to have on crusty, toasted bread for breakfast. It’s even better that it’s free of dairy ingredients because my little baby STILL won’t let me have anything of the cow variety. You da best, Deb!

I’m so naughty with Nutella, I lose ALL self control. I think I’d better not make this at home… you’ll find me a week later, huddled up in bed with a contented smile all over my chocolatey face (and 20 pounds heavier).

Of all the things I have thought of trying to make at home, Nutella never crossed my mind for some reason. It looks wonderful. I like Nutella, but I think the peanuts might taste better than hazelnuts. Call it sacrilege, but hazelnuts always have a little bit of a “moldy” note to my taste. Love the jar. Everything looks better in a little canning jar with a bail doesn’t it? Good job!

I always send “valentine” packages to all my college kids and was wondering if you thought this would make it through the mail if I priority or overnight it? I think they would all be very happy to receive this yumminess!

This is absolutely wonderful. Is there anyway to extend shelf life, such as a hot water bath method. I would love to make some up for my grandchildren and send to them. Thank you for your commitment to all of us who love food.

My local grocery has fresh-ground peanut butter with swirls of dark chocolate, but it does not COMPARE to this! This is life-changing! Now I have two goals: make my own Nutella, and make my own peanutella! Can there be anything more to life than these two products with spoons?? Me thinks no!

Nutella is my favorite snack w/graham crackers. This will take its place I’m sure! Don’t know whether to thank you or hate you, thanking seems best! Probably will be a mistake, but I HAVE to make this. THANKS BUNCHES!!!

I’m only newly addicted to your website, I’m a huge Nutella fan and lately I’ve been thinking I’d like to do a espresso chocolate spread. But I haven’t the faintest idea how. This post has given me the idea that if I had some sort of mild nut base- mac nuts maybe?- that I might be able to do it. Thanks

I did this with a pound (a POUND!) of roasted hazelnuts and an equal amount of dark chocolate in a Vitamix. I didn’t eat it all in one sitting, but the possibility existed. The texture was a bit grainy, but one get over that problem pretty dang quick when bathed in that extreme flavor pleasure. Shame on me, though I’d do it again.

The texture on this looks perfect and glossy! I always thought you’d need a vitamix to liquefy the nuts. I just made Nutella Cookies, which are great, if you ever need a break from straight Nutella. Having the option of making any kind of chocolate nut butter is sweet. Can you imagine how good macaacdamia chocolate nut butter would be?

Oh man. I am trying to think of a good excuse to make this. I worry that if I make it with no plan to use it, I’ll end up eating the entire jar myself in one sitting. Thanks so much for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it!

@ Rachel. If you can afford the xtra @ I’d suggest a Magimix FP. Super well made and will last 4 eva! Try ebay… also look for Robo-Coupe, which is the older model. that’s how i got mine. It’s from the 80″s and still going strong. (actually I have both; but I cook a lot!)

Looks molto yummy but you have molto typos in this one which detract from your usual high standards: 1)combination of hazelnuts and cocoa loved all over the world and was surprised to approaches, too, them all over the map, and 2)despite it’s average peanut base. For a while you used to be able to buy chocolate-peanut butter but this looks way better! Imagine plopping it in the teeniest tart shells with a dab of unsweetened whipped cream on top.

I’ve gotten into the bad habit of melting chocolate chips and peanut butter in the microwave for my after dinner treat. And I wonder my scale keeps going in the wrong direction. But this looks SO much more yummy. Thanks for the deliciousness.

You’ve been adding so many more pictures…I’ve been reading for years, but usually don’t comment (I figure one can only hear so many times how delicious/beautiful/tasty something looks…or can they?) but it seems like recently you’ve been adding extra pictures…the quality of which are always amazing. So, thank you! Oh and that peanutella does look delicious/beautiful/tasty, in case you hadn’t heard.

Hi Deb, this post made my heart melt…that was my crave for food during my first pregnancy. I would cut a bagel in half- one side Nutella, the other side peanut butter- close’m real tight and viola! a perfect sandwich during…. a lot of regrets after :).
Thanks!

Oh, I have GOT to try this. I think it would be insane in those little fried beggar’s purses that Giada deLaurentiis did on her show at one point. YOWZA!!!! The only cocoa I have is some insanely black stuff which I think is from Guittard, so I’ll let you know how that goes. And Deb, you have inspired me so many times, I would dearly love to send you some brownies (they my personal mission in life). I’ll even drop them off a la Spy vs. Spy to maintain anonymity, just let me know a safe drop zone. CONGRATS on the book deal!!!

Curious how this stands up after a few days (if it lasts that long!). I have tried a similar recipe and maybe due to the amount of corn starch in the powdered sugar, but it took on a consistency approaching frosting…

My food processor broke over a year ago and I’ve been living without it since, no problems…until now. Reading this (I’ve read it *four times* now) is making me want to go purchase a new one…and all the necessary ingredients to make this. And then make it. And put it on EVERYTHING.

This was like being in your kitchen and lacing all the cooking with Fran Leibovitz-ian humor. I chortled myself right into mindless drooling halfway into your text. You are a joy and had me at bad influence… and you got me now. Ty Ty.

Ditto all of the fabulous comments! I hope this one goes into your new cookbook, I am going to copy it now, because in case you decide to delete it. This recipe alone could entice people (like me) to buy a cookbook!

I have made a similar version using Mexican table chocolate. I also used coarse sea salt. The crunch of saltiness is a nice counterpoint to the sweetness. Thank you for this recipe. It will put my store of Dutch chocolate to good use.

I would actually love to do this with hazelnuts, which I love. Would I just substitute hazelnuts for the peanuts? Whole Foods used to sell a chocolate peanut butter that I have copied. It is much less sophisticated than yours–I just added grated chocolate to a jar of natural peanut butter. I approximated the Whole Foods one, but it didn’t come close to this.

Also, jars like the one in the picture are readily available at antique stores, flea markets, and occasionally thrift shops for well under $5.00.

Hello! And thank you for this recipe. Being an American living in New Zealand – I long for the peanut butter – chocolate combinations of my homeland! And when I make them here, locals think they are incredibly gourmet which makes me feel incredibly gourmet :)
Molly

I have a weird question. Can I do this without roasting the peanuts in the oven? Can I roast them/cook them some other way? Barring that, will it work if I cover the peanuts up really, really tightly in two layers of aluminum foil and then roast them?

I have been known to combine some Nutella and a little Trader Joes almond butter in a custard cup. Micro wave for a few moments. Just need a spoon to eat it–as it. The only way I like peanut butter is when it is surrounded by chocolate. Works with almond butter too.

Shit, I accidentally got nibs – really expensive nibs from Askinosie. I know that to make true cacao powder, I’d have to grind them into a paste and remove the fat – but if I just ground them up and maybe reduced the oil, would that work?

OMG! You’re really the Devil aren’t you. I would love to lick that spoon at the end of the day. And I learned a new thing today about peanuts turning into paste after vigorous grinding without any liquid assistance.

Deb, Deb, Deb…..woman, you just KNOW what all of us East coasters need when the weather outside SUCKS. And for the other poster who said 20 degrees is balmy…well, you are just plain nuts like this recipe!! Yum yum gimme some….this was freakin HEAVEN. Thanks girlfriend, this paired beautifully together with the fresh loaf of italian bread I got from Whole Foods. This was our dessert for the weekend. And yes, the spread is GONE now. I think hubby was sneaking it for breakfast and lunch ;)

Just to clarify, you say keep up to a week in a covered container in the fridge. So it won’t last longer than that? Does it go bad? I would imagine it would be hard to resist it for longer than that, but with Nutella, you can keep it for quite some time, if you refrigerate it. (though it’s hard as a rock). It looks SO good! And I’m not a big fan of hazelnuts. This is so much more appealing to me.
Love your blog!

So I read recently that the darker a cocoa’s color, the mellower its flavor. Do you think that’s possible? The article claimed that alkalizing the cocoa (through Dutch-processing, for example) reduces its natural acidity, mellows its flavor, and darkens its color.

Made this last night with hazelnuts (I’m a traditionalist) and I was a bit disappointed. It’s definitely very good, but not as good as nutella. How can that be? I used very high quality hazelnuts, roasted, and high quality cocoa. I would have thought that it would be better than nutella, but somehow it is just missing that nutella magic. Anyone out there make a homemade nutella that has the yummy factor of the original?

I have tried choc. peanut butter spread from the Peanut Butter & Company and, again, I think it’s good but doesn’t hold a candle to Nutella.

This may sound crazy, but I almost feel as if the problem with both my homemade version and the PB&C version is that it is *too* nutty and chocolatey, not mild enough. (Mine also lacked the texture of nutella b/c of the hazelnuts, as Deb predicted, but it was not the texture but the flavor that I found especially wanting.)

Thank you for this recipe! Over the years, I’ve developed a terrible allergy to hazelnuts and have had to avoid Nutella like the plague… but I can eat peanuts with reckless abandon. I’m so excited about indulging in a chocolaty nut spread again and I will be making a DOUBLE batch of this very, very soon. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

OMG…I think you and I were seperated at birth. I haven’t read the commente here yet, but does anyone remember Koogle…the chocolate peanut butter spread…I found out years later they actually had other flavors, but who cares?? I have been on a mission since my childhood to find it again. But to no avail, I have tried other “imitators” and have been nothing but dissapointed. I can’t wait to try this…like, seriously thinking about leaving work right now (even though I just got here) to run home and liquefy some peanuts. I bet they wouldn’t mind if I came back with a jar of this!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

So I honestly think that you are mind reader. I spent several hours last week looking for a nutella recipe. I decided I had to wait a week or two to make it– mainly because, yes it is time to start looking for a bathing suit. Now you post this and I don’t think I will be able to resist ;)

I love your blog and I find that I can always find what I looking for when I start looking around your posts. Thank you for always having amazing stuff!

I just heard the heavens open and angels sing. This is BRILLIANT! Plans as of now is to make a double batch when a BFF flies in from Texas for a girls weekend and everyone will have their own dipping jar in the car for the drive to Mt Hood. The other batch will make monkeymunch. And I think I just found my new pre-triathalon food. Bless you!

Made it as soon as I saw it..halved the recipe…was scared of myself. Came out super duper yummy. Toasted the peanuts till they got all golden brown and the flavor was kind of oozing out of them in the blender. Peanutella, am sure would be much healthier than nutella. My 13 year old was ecstatic as I would never let him eat nutella..we are keeping a check on what we eat. Wow..!

Totally rooting for Blais to win Top Chef too, and he ate a banana and Nutella on this past week’s episode! (Restaurant Wars…how GREAT was Bodega. What an awesome concept.) He was saying to someone that Nutella and banana go together like tomato and basil.

When I make Nutella on toast, I always sprinkle a little Grey Sea Salt on top because I love that salty edge. Maybe the answer to your “not quite salty enough” batch, if there is any left at this point, that is.

peanut and chocolate. yum! i love the idea of nutella, but don’t eat it because i’m allergic to hazelnuts.

i have a random question for you. i am in the market for a full-size cuisinart. i have a mini-prep sized one that i hate because it’s too small! so should i get 7 cup? 10 cup? 14 cup? i want to be able to make recipes like this, dips, pesto, hummus, etc. without having to do them in several batches. any advice?

haha, I have been mixing Nutella and Peanut Butter for years and been pronounced mad by my fellow Germans. How nice to see that some people appearantly share my way of thinking :P And the recipe looks so much better than my uninspired just-mix-peanut-butter-and-nutella creation

Nutella is a staple of my pantry – and I LOVE that you’ve found a way to have it homemade. Will try this immediately! I’ll have to check out the “easy” Martha Stewart version as well!
Is it sad that the two products my 15-month old daughter consistently recognizes in the grocery aisles are the Nutella jars and the Goldfish cracker packages? I’m not ashamed. =o)

I made David Lebovitz’s Cold Noodles with Peanut Sauce last week, and was disappointed that the otherwise delicious peanut sauce ended up gritty. So glad to find out that is was my mistake and I should have kept processing those peanuts. Thank you, Deb!

Congrats on another great post, which has garnered so many comments in a relatively short time! But with all due respect, most of the comments do not add to the conversation in a meaningful way. I wonder if it would be possible to categorize them somehow, separating the sea of “that looks delicious” and “Jacob is adorable” comments from those by readers who have questions, or who’ve actually made the recipe or otherwise have something helpful to add? I don’t mean to suggest the recipes don’t sound delicious or that Jacob isn’t adorable — they do and he is! — but it would make going through the comments for helpful mateiral much easier.

Made the peanutella just this afternoon, it’s good but (as Deb said) really spring for the best ingriedients you can get your hands on. I used Hershey’s cocoa powder (I know, I know, should have used Valrona) and Planters cocktail peanuts. It came out decent, my 3 year old is covered in it, but I thought the flavors were muddled and it was missing the rich chocolate-y taste.

Like so many others – my New Year’s resolution will be tested… again. I just stood in front of the fridge eating cookie dough, resolved AGAIN to be nicer to my body, then sat down to this. Which I will definitely try. Oh, well. There’s always tomorrow for “healthy” eating! :)

Holy crap. I’m sitting here at work, punishing myself for not going for a run this morning and here you’ve made peanutella. And all I can think is .. I HAVE ALL THAT IN THE PANTRY! oh lord. I’m say’n good-bye to all my working out efforts this week. My knees thank you.

Ooooooh la la. I think it’s probably a Very Good Thing that I discovered only this morning that my boyfriend doesn’t like Nutella. I guess he won’t like this either, which is a shame as it means I can’t pretend I’m making it for him. Oh dear oh dear.

Ok, so I’m reading your post, totally absorbed in chocolate and peanut butter goodness, when suddenly out of the corner of my eye I see a “Spanx” ad to the left of the main column!! The irony of it made me laugh out loud.

PS Almost panicked when I couldn’t find the Jacob link! Then I found it burried in the recipe. You are sneaky today.

I love chocolate and peanut butter together! I made a healthy version of this that I call chocolate hummus with black beans, cocoa, stevia and peanut butter. It was delicious.. but I’m sure nothing compared to the richness of your spread!

My hubby, who is a chocolate+peanut butter otaku, made this today and it turned out perfect. Mind you, he doesn’t cook…at all…and he was able to make this in a whiz. We blended dutch cocoa and black cocoa and scaled back the sugar about 1/4 c. It came together so easily and tastes *awesome.* It’s great on whole-wheat English muffins, and probably a host of other carb-alicious things. ;-)

I had some problems getting it there, tho, and I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. I ended up doubling the amount of cocoa (valrhona — should I have used something else?) in order to assuage the extra-roasted peanut-y flavor. and I used a whopping 8 Tbs of oil to get it out of pasty consistency. Did I over-process the peanuts (I went the whole 5 min)? under-process? Don’t get me wrong, we’re still fighting over who gets to lick the bowl, but I’m feeling a bit sheepish at having such problems!

sonia — The extra cocoa did it. Both the cocoa and the sugar (well, the cornstarch in the sugar) dry the mixture out….

Lauren — I totally forgot about that, thank you. Yeah, I created a “romantic” recipe for Bon Appetit for February… I think it will run on the site, though.

Francie — Don’t see why not. I think cashews would be delicious.

maria — I’ve wanted to make that dish nearly every second since I read the post.

sarah b — I have the 11-cup and I’m very happy with it. It covers 90% of what I make. (And whoa, it is 50% percent off on Amazon right now, if that helps seal the deal)

Questions about how long this lasts — Nutella has preservatives. This, of course, does not. Entirely possible that it would be good for longer than a week but I’ll never find out because I don’t think ours is going to make it to Friday. I’ve never followed “toss” rules much anyway — if it looks and tastes okay, no need to chuck it.

So I tried to make this today and I think I’m going to have to give it another good in a few days because I don’t think I got it quite right. Now I think it tastes wonderful, but I don’t think I got the texture quite right. I had a huge problem after I processed the peanuts. I got it to the consistency of melted peanut butter (which was liquefied to me) but then in the time that I paused to add the other ingredients the peanuts must have solidified because my food processor just would not incorporate all the ingredients. Neither would my blender. I ended up putting it all in a bowl and used a spatula to fold it all together. So it looks like Nuetella but I’m pretty sure I don’t have the lovely smooth texture.

OH MY GOD. I discovered nutella in Poland 100 years ago when I lived there and never knew it existed here until I moved back home and scoured the aisles for it.
Never once did I think to mix it with peanuts. I mean, it’s got hazelnuts in it already, right?
But WOW!!!! Deb, you’re a genius. This is why we LOVE YOU!!

Not sure if you’ve ever been, but V-Bar (near Washington Sq) sells a Nutella-peanut butter panini that I have dreams about. I’m thinking that this spread on a nice, toasty sandwich would achieve the same effect, minus the subway ride. Thank you!

Love it! Funny enough, this is how I introduced my two year old to nuts. Having never tried one in his little life, he walked by me as I was stuffing my face with nutella and peanut butter spread on top of some challah. He was quickly converted! I totally admire your wherewithal to do this from scratch!

This does look good, definitely want to try it. I did find in my grocery store chocolate peanut butter, cant remember if it has preservatives or not, but here’s the website, http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/ Looks like they have a shop in NYC.

i made this last night and it is amazing, and i was even lazy and used planters pre-roasted peanuts and plain hershey’s cocoa. i’ve been thinking of making your punition cookies, and this might be a killer filling for them. but this morning when i got it out of the fridge it was sooo thick that i had to put it in the microwave to be able to spread it on bread. did i not process the nuts long enough? anyone else have this problem?

Oh Deb….I promised myself I would start reading a blog that focuses on healthy food for dinners because I have a family to feed and a few pounds to lose, but I just keep coming back. You are my favorite drug. I’ll be making this this weekend, thank you.

This is sinfully good. I had no idea peanuts liquefied so easily! Made me wonder if you’ve ever experimented with making your own peanut butter? Seems like it would be fresher tasting and healthier than anything you could buy?

Well, I made this the other day, and although it turned out well, it was very laborious because of a couple mistakes I made.

One, I accidentally bought top-quality nibs instead of top-quality cacao powder. So, I ground up the nibs for 10, 15 minutes in the food processor, briefly worked it in a mortar and pestle (which easily separates the fat), sifted it twice, and repeated that process twice to approximate cacao powder. (Would have saved money for sure if I hadn’t done that.)

Two, the only raw peanuts at Whole Foods were not peeled, and I was too lazy to do it myself. So, the peanuts didn’t liquefy (or even turn into ‘butter’ for that matter, and were somewhat grainy. I fixed this by adding in extra peanut oil, and although it is a little grainy, it tastes fine.

So yeah, thanks for the recipe, hopefully I can do better next time, because I don’t think this had to be so hard.

this. is. amazing. Before I even made it on Sunday afternoon I was thinking up things to serve it on. Best way so far: fresh homemade multigrain bread (a la America’s Test Kitchen), your Peanutella, thinly sliced banana sandwiches. WHOA!!

#264 Stacey, I feel the same way you do sometimes, and that’s why I always report back on the recipe after I make it. I read comments to get that kind of feeback and ideas, so I want to give back in the same way. Speaking of which, I made the bretzel rolls this weekend and need to go file my report…!

If I wasn’t so full from the peanut butter brownies I baked yesterday, I would totally be making some of this. So in reality, I may have to make this tomorrow morning for breakfast. And eat the whole thing. Following it up with more of my brownies. Swimsuit season? What’s that?

Oh. My. God. First, I totally cheated with this recipe. I was going to make it exactly as written, but then the peanuts my boyfriend promised me were in the cabinet were not there, and with all this snow I was not about to leave the house for a cup of peanuts. So, I used the natural-style unsalted chunky peanut butter I keep on hand for cooking instead (only ingredient: peanuts). I heated it on the stove carefully so it darkened a tiny bit, and was warm when I used it. I also have the smallest (read:maybe 2-cup) food processor in the world, so I cut this recipe in half and hoped for the best. I blended the peanut butter until it was fully smooth, and added the rest of the ingredients plus a tiny splash of homemade vanilla because I was just using the boring cocoa powder I had on hand and it needed a little love from vanilla to make it taste better. Even with all of these amendments, I have licked every surface this amazing spread has touched, and I have banished myself to another part of the house so I won’t think about the chocolate-peanut spread in the kitchen. I am the only one home, no one would ever know it existed if I ate the entire jar of it…this is seriously dangerous stuff. So, if any of you are dying to try this but are equally lacking in the peanut department, natural-style peanut butter will work if its all you have. But really, don’t make it. Its wayyyy too delicious.

I just made the Martha version you mention, except with peanuts, cause I had the ingredients for it. From what you say about your recipe, I wouldn’t bother with the Martha recipe. The consistency is sticky, like melted toffees, and it’s not nutty enough despite the fact that I boosted the nuts slightly. in fact I have to concentrate to taste the nuts. Too bad I made 3 cups of it. Oh well. It won’t go bad! I could see it as a cookie-sandwich filling or warmed & drizzled over vanilla ice cream.

Oh my goodness. Just made a batch of this for my boy who loves chocolate and PB on his apples. Give us a bag of pretzels and I think the batch is done. I used dark onyx cocoa. Didn’t have peanut oil so used grapeseed. Amazing.

I made my Peanut Butter & Co’s comment as I cannot eat Nutella. Nutella contains WAY too much sugar. However, Peanut Butter & Co. do not use the sugar that the other does and the dark chocolate part sends it over the top. Your recipe reminds me of my dark chocolate peanut butter. That’s all. I was not advertising or anything. :)

This proves that the simplest idea is often the most ingenious one. When I was growing up in Europe I craved for peanut butter, which was very hard to obtain. My kids, who are born in the US, prefer Nutella. The other day I baked a home-made Snickers-like tart with peanuts and chocolate. Everyone loved it.

Wow! You really hit a chord here – 336 comments so far! I’ve never liked Nutella because it’s not chocolatey enough for me but this sounds like it would hit every kind of fabulous spot! Must try. Maybe must not – my swimsuit will hate me even more!

Hiya…. yup, I had the same problem a few other peeps here had with the mixture staying really dry and thick. I just kept adding more oil ( about 6 Tbls) but at a certain point I gave up. It would look liquid and smooth in the robot coupe and then when I pulled it out it would almost immediately clump up and dry out. Weird. It tastes pretty good but I’m not ready to call it a Nutella substitute!

This is delicious. Saw the post this morning while in my office and announced to my office-mates that I would be making this tonight. Sadly now I have to share. Wowzer this is good. I love the moment when the peanuts went from clumpy and weird to liquid. Who knew? And now I know how to make peanut butter. Although, this concoction is much, much better. Hate hazelnuts, so I’m thrilled to have an alternative to Nutella. Did I mentioned I doubled the recipe?

Made this today, came out like everyone else. My peanuts never really hit a “liquefied” point, rather just became a big moist looking ball. I added the 3 tbs of oil and it looked close so I added a 4th. It was shiny and smooth looking (no longer a ball) but it was more like a fondant in texture and stickiness and a gelatin in wobbliness, definitely not drippy like the photos. It still came out tasting good though, ate it with some apples!

I made this with almonds instead of peanuts (allergies). I did everything the same except I needed to add about 5 tablespoons of grapeseed oil to get it wet enough. I think almonds just don’t release as much oil as peanuts. This stuff is awesome. It’s especially awesome spread on those iced oatmeal cookies (no icing) you posted a while back. We’ve also been putting it in our morning oatmeal instead of regular almond butter. My boyfriend calls it coco puffs for adults. It’s chocolate, but it’s in oatmeal, so it’s good for you, right?

Just made this and mine turned out just like Deb’s, I roasted already roasted peanuts for 7 minutes, processed them for just over 5 minutes I have an older on the way out cuisanart. I think those who had problems didn’t process enough, I certainly got the ball stage but it needs several more minutes after that. I eyeballed the sugar, used giradelli cocoa and used 3.5 tbs. of canola oil as my peanut oil was rancid,yuck! Turned our smooth and yummy, going to enjoy some on toast for my afternoon snack.

Side note, I agree with some previous posters that 300 some comments of OMG that goods and how cute is Jacob is a bit much, Yes to both of course but do we all really need to state it! I come here for really fabulous recipes and always post after I make one what I did and how it went. I really appreciate those who take the time to ask questions that will be helpful and for posting the results. Deb does have a leave a comment page guidelines….maybe read it. Don’t mean to be a meany but got a little frustrated today trying to find the 15 people who actually made this and gleam some insight.
Thanks Deb, keep up the good work!

Since I have been dreaming about this spread since Deb posted it (I kid you not), I need some help before I succumb to buying Nutella. My better half scoffs at Reeses, and I shudder to think of my waist and hips after being left alone with a jar of this: so I need to use a more maritally harmonious nut-almonds.

Question for those (juliejust8) who made this with almonds. Did you use blanched ones or regular raw ones? Did they pulverize well in the food processor- how long did you need to run it to get the nuts oily and shiny like Deb’s? Any help/ hints would be appreicated. I would hate to end up with a grainy version of nutella- which would be eaten quickly to hide my mistakes but would nevertheless intensify my craving for the real thing .

I see I’m not the only one having this problem, but I haven’t really seen any sort of feedback. I’ve done pretty much every thing, except I’m using agave, but even before I put in the agave, the texture is more like a peanut meal than a paste. It’s terrible. Should the peanuts be cool before processing? Should I achieve a paste before adding cocoa? What sort of processor should you use? What setting? Mine is rather small, not a mini, but not full sized. I’m using the lower rotating blades and am on puree. Should I, hell, can I set it to puree for 5 straight minutes? Did anyone else get smoke coming out of the peanuts? It would be great to hear a touch more about the process of making the peanutella. Thanks!

Folks having trouble getting the peanuts to liquefy — I wish I could get to the bottom of it. I use a Cuisinart food processor that’s about 8 years old. I whirled it exactly as I wrote, first they become coarsely ground nuts, then a thick paste but if you keep running it, and you must, for that full 5 minutes, they’ll liquefy. Mine started to about a minute before. I use warm peanuts; they were just roasted or re-roasted a few minutes before.

Could this be variances in peanuts — are some more oily than others? Machines? Is everyone going for the full 5 minutes, or longer, even, if they haven’t liquefied yet?

I just made this using a tin of salted, roasted peanuts I got as a Christmas gift from a fellow physician. I didn’t add any extra salt. I also added more cocoa since I felt that the peanut taste was overwhelming without it. I’m a bit of a chocoholic, so a normal person may prefer the recipe as written, but I added 50% more, I’d say, since I really wanted the chocolate to have a strong presence.

This was a much better way to use the peanuts than just have them sit around collecting dust.Thanks!

Made this with my teenage kids. Got the peanuts to liquify. Added the powdered sugar, cocoa, oil and salt. It tasted good, but not particularly chocolatey. I used Lake Champlain unsweetened cocoa. Where did I go wrong?? Help!!!

ok, I could not wait any longer. I broke down and made this with the almonds. I toasted the raw almonds for 12 minutes at 375 and pulverized them while still warm. I need to add a tbsp of canola oil(almond oil would no doubt be better) to get the magic happenning. I needed 5 minutes like Deb to get to a fairly liquified state though my almonds still did look a little mealy. Since I was being naughty anyway, I added half a bar of valhrona dark chocolate from the chocolate cake I made this week, 1/2 cup of valhrona cocoa and 1 cup of powdered sugar , salt and a tsp of vanilla. I needed to add 3 more tbsp of oil to get a spread.

So people, if all you love are almonds, fear not. This works just as well with almonds, and tastes so grownup and decadent! I just finished licking my spatula clean and am trying to talk myself out of licking the blades:)

I made this last night, but used half almonds and half cashews rather than peanuts. I cannot stop eating it – it is amazing. My So is dying to have me try it again with hazelnuts (we’re big nutella fans), so once i hit the grocery store again I will try it with hazelnuts. Although I have 2 pounds of macadamia nuts in the freezer … I may have to try it with that first!

I love nutella but I find it to be too sweet, so this is perfect because I can just add less sugar (which I did when I made it) so that it is a darker chocolate flavor rather than a sweeter flavor. Delish !

I forgot about this recipe until I was innocently stocking up on grains and legumes in the health food store bulk aisle. And then I saw peanuts, and remembered. And well, so much for that whole “health food” thing. Just made a batch. Look what you have done!

I used Trader Joe’s raw cashews. They did not liquify after more than 5 minutes in my Cuisinart. Didn’t even turn to paste, just a really fine powder. I did stop from time to time because the powder would adhere to the sides of the work bowl and it didn’t look like it was mixing. Anyway, I added some canola oil — ultimately 1 or 2 T more than called for — and it eventually turned out very well. I also added some cinnamon. So far I’ve had it on bagels and in hot cocoa (takes some work to get the right consistency, but worth it). Delicous! Any chance the pre-roasted peanuts were salted, Deb? Just wondering if the salt maybe helped draw liquid from the nuts.

Just made this tonight…o.m.g. So yummy on Challah bread! Used unsalted roasted organic peanuts (not hot) from the bulk section of Whole Foods and ghirardelli cocoa. Took exactly 5 minutes for the peanuts to turn to a liquid consistency. Pure perfection. So much better than Nutella and I love Nutella.

Okay, so you’re brilliantly evil. But since I’m not that big of peanuts (I know, I know, send the pitchfork-armed mobs now!), I just made it with (honestly) some pretty crappy cocoa powder and cashews. The main reason I used my admittedly “meh” cocoa, though, is that it is meant to be for dark chocolate. I found that because of the more bitter cocoa I had to use more sugar to balance it a bit with the definitely dark chocolate flavour. I also used about 6 tablespoons of oil.

That said, though, it is heavenly and I see myself annoying my husband with the sound of my food processor much more often than I was before!

Stacey, I have a Cuisinart brand food processor as well and I found that even though it took longer for the nuts to liquefy they most definitely did without the aid of oil. However, I could only find pre-salted cashews so maybe there is something to your salt-theory. I also patted off as much of the salt as I possibly could before roasting them.

WOW! I’m a huge fan of chocolate spread. All I can say is I’m grateful I don’t currently own a food processor at this moment. I’m notorious for cleaning out jars of chocolatey goodness in record time. Shameful I know. I will be trying this recipe out in the near future…perhaps when I gain more self control!

I made this with the help of 3 boys, and it was a FUN project. We were so psyched to make our own chocolate spread. Peanuts are harder to get here in Germany, so we used almonds and vegetable oil, but it still turned out great.

To all those who were disappointed with the results: I tried Martha’s recipe (linked in post above) which uses condensed milk (& hazelnuts). I had to add a bit of oil (and a bit of milk) to get it thin enough, but the texture was near perfect–not at all gritty, nice and chewy and smooth. (I also used cocoa instead of chocolate) I think the key, besides the condensed milk, is processing the heck out of the hazelnuts *while they are still hot*. BUT I was not satisfied with the flavor of Martha’s recipe. It is good, but it is too condensed-milky. I am going to try again using whole milk & sugar instead of (some of the) condensed milk and I will update. I have to say that my original batch, which I was dissatisfied with at first (see my post above) improved markedly with age a few days in the fridge (or maybe I just got less picky)… it was gone within a week!

Like you, I made the L.A. Times recipe using the roasted hazelnuts and it was SO good! So close to the real thing and so easy thanks to the food processor! I loved the aroma of the hazelnuts roasting. I’m sure the peanuts were great too! It looks fabulous!

I don’t buy the Nutella anymore (although living in France and having grown with it in any little store) because of the bad oils they use… I’m SO looking forward to trying this recipe (probably this evening !) that looks so easy to do. Thank you so much for sharing, along with such beautiful photos as usual

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about this recipe!
I have a HUGE jar of Nutella in my fridge, its just sitting there because I can’t bring myself to eat it due to all the hydrogenated oils, artificial flavoring and preservatives. What a fantastic way to use up my peanuts sitting in my cupboard!
Have you tried Justin’s Nut Butter? If not, you should. They have mini packets for those on the go and want that quick chocolate and peanut fix. Try it on apples, bread, or just by itself!
Thanks again, can’t wait to give this a try!

A friend just hosted a potluck and we were told to expect something incredible for dessert. Sure enough, someone brought over a pan of brownies with your “peanutella” swirled around on top and throughout the brownies! It was awesome, and exceeded every expectation! Thanks so much for posting!

I just made this, and I had to put it away before it would disappear! Don’t worry, I liked the spatula completely clean :)

I too had issues with getting to the liquid stage. My peanuts went coarse, then kind of pasty, then to a big noisy ball. I broke up the ball with the spatula, and kept processing. I went for much more than 5 minutes, probably closer to 8-10. (If it matters, I have a 4 year old Cuisinart 11-cup processor). I decided to stop when after checking every minute or so, the peanuts didn’t appear to be changing texture much. The peanuts were definitely not sloshy, more like a really thinned out peanut butter.

I just used whatever old cocoa was in the pantry, and it was still great. I imagine it would be even more great if I had the fancy stuff.

I made this yesterday, and my kids thought they’d died and gone to heaven when they got chocolate/peanut butter spread on their bagels! I had no trouble getting the peanuts to liquefy and had to use canola oil because I was out of peanut oil. I also used just 1 c of powdered sugar, and it’s just the right amount of sweet for me. I’m going to try almonds next time, so if anyone else has done that and has tips or ways that they work differently than peanuts, I’d love those!

I was using a hand blender so it took me ages having to give the poor thing a break to cool down…
So basically I got bored blending the peanuts a little too early and didn’t quite get to the liquid stage. buuuut this led to a fantastic discovery of not only crunchy peanutella (which, admitedly, is a little tricky to spread) but also PEANUTELLA TRUFFLES. i just rolled some of it into balls and rolled them in cocoa and hey presto, a way to eat it on it’s own that is ever so slightly classier than just getting a spoonful out of the jar…

Jendorf,See my earlier comment on using almonds. It has been a few days since I made this and we are out of half the jar already (this is with me excercising self control). My husband on the other hand has none and has been spreading this on toast and calling it breakfast . He already wants me to make some more just in case we run out- and this from a guy who does not like nutella.
I also used only 1 cup of sugar and I think I can go down to 3/4 with no ill effects.

Wow this looks delish! I’m glad others said it also turns out good with canola oil. That’s what I thought of using, sine I don’t have any peanut oil. Will be searching for bulk raw peanuts and cocoa! Can’t wait to make it.

Made this today. The whole fam loved it. My peanuts “liquified” just fine (I would describe it as a very runny peanut butter) and it came together beautifully. YUM. You should have seen my kids faces when I told them they could eat it for lunch:)

This looks so amazingly delicious! Definitely reminds me of when I would toss nutella all over my morning toast- this looks even better. I can’t to make some and it would make a terrific Valentines treat if pair with some simple dipping cookies or even plain sugar cookies.

You know, a couple of weeks ago I tried to make “Nutella” from a french recipe and sort of half failed miserably. (http://theflyingsaucepan.blogspot.com/2011/01/pate-tartiner-la-noisette.html)
However, I was also thinking (whilst having to buy a bunch of hazelnut stuff that I couldn’t reaaally justify spending as much as it cost) that an almond chocolate spread would be nice too!
Anyway, yours looks lovely and I’ll have to try the recipe out. Love the idea of peanuts…sounds delightful!!!

I made this and was disappointed. I had no problems with the consistency but could barely taste the chocolate. I ended up doubling the amount of cocoa powder (and adding a little more oil) but to no avail. And I used Penzey’s cocoa, which I have always considered good-quality, but perhaps it’s not?? Maybe I’ll try heating it and using it for sauce over ice cream.

Teresa — You know, I adore Penzey’s. Love them. But I tried out their cocoa a few weeks ago in one of my favorite chocolate cookies and the taste was so bland and un-chocolatey; the color was pale; I was very disappointed. Feel free to add more cocoa, however, until you get the flavor you want. I mention that these adjustments might be necessary in the head notes.

I thought this would be the recipe that forced me to buy a food processor. Yet I wanted to make this so badly, I thought I’d put my blender’s motor on the line and see how it went. I, too, didn’t get the liquefied peanuts in the 5 minute window, but pretty darn close. I used the pulse feature with a “mix” setting (NOT “liquefy”–too fast!) to keep the peanuts moving around the blade. I stopped 4 or 5 times to scrape the sides and move the mixture around the blade. I added the 2 T of oil after the first 5 minutes and pulsed before adding the rest of the ingredients and that did the trick. It loosened up the clumpiness and made a great smooth texture, also making it easier to blend the sugar and cocoa. My blender survived (but I’m still without a processor) and have tasty pb&c spread!

I recognize and applaud your evil genius in creating this recipe. only waiting on the peanut oil to come to room temp in order to try this…rest of the ingredients await in the food processor already! thanks

i came across this recipe while looking for another recipe and then totally forgot what other recipe I was looking for. I then made this with the premise that it was something my 4 year old could cook with me. As i was processing the peanuts, said 4 year old came over to look for a split second and then returned to the Wii. I have eaten most of this already, even made with basic peanuts and whatever cocoa i had in the house. I offered it on a bagel to my 7 year old for breakfast and she looked at me like i had two heads and then snarfed it down. thank you for a great recipe!

First, for those that are having trouble with the peanuts blending right: be patient, stir often, and add oil if you need to. My peanuts were for 90% of the time a chunky paste-ish mix, and I just kept stopping the blender (I have a Blendtec) stirring, and adding a drizzle of oil when it started to look dry (I used 4 Tbsp total, with 3 c. peanuts). Mine just “switched” at the last minute to a creamy butter. I thought maybe they weren’t going to, but Deb is right about the 5 minute mark. They just were paste, and then paste, and then paste – and then – ta-da! – butter. And it was right about at 5 minutes that they became puddly goodness.

Also, I have died and gone to heaven. This is the most amazing thing in the world. It is like the world’s best reeces peanut butter cup in spread form. Oh Nutella, you may never see my kitchen again.

This is the best homemade nutella I have ever made! And i have tried a LOT. It is easy, healthier than otherns(like that even matters!)and sooo delicious.
I sometimes make it with almonds or two kinds of nuts together.
It has made me all my friends’ favorite brunch buddy:D
Thanks for sharing:)

Oh my oh my….
This is not something a pregnant woman should be tempted with!

I HAD to make this right away but I didn’t have any peanuts or peanut oil. So hazelnuts and olive oil did the trick this time (yummy!) but next time (and there will be a next time!) I’ll have to try the original! :)

I just tried this exactly the way the recipe is and ended up adding 2 more tbsp hershey’s cocoa (all I had) plus 2 tbsp Penzey’s hot cocoa powder, an extra tbsp of oil to make up for the extra dry ingredients, and 1/4 tsp vanilla. It’s still not chocolatey enough for me, though it’s just as nutty as nutella, so it’s probably just me. I don’t think I blended the nuts long enough, but they continued to get smoother as I blended in the other ingredients. I will try this again with a more chocolatey cocoa powder.

I can’t believe how easy this recipe is -no cooking involved. I wonder what other kinds of nuts and oils one could substitute, besides the obvious hazelnuts. Thanks for the recipe and thank you to whoever it was who invented the food processor!

After telling myself that I’d hold out until the weekend, I caved miserably and made this last night — posted it on my blog this morning!

Somehow my peanuts never processed smoothly — they got to the peanut butter stage, but only chunky, never creamy. (But I also got very impatient, so maybe I just stopped processing too early.) I’ve got a fair amount of grit, but it’s still the most delicious thing I’ve ever made — thank you Deb!

…. should not be for people with blood sugar problem. Making peanut butter is easy. Going back the old days, gradma and us (her young grandchildren) had a momentous bonding in a messy yet exciting grinding of peanut in a vintage hand powered grinder. We also did cacao. Anyone here to answer if its OK to fuse peanut butter in cocoa?

I made some Cocoa Marzipan today, LOL!! Mine’s a touch on the stiff side, but oh, so good.

I used slivered, blanched almonds, though, so I do wonder if my percentage of nuts was too high? I didn’t add extra oil, though. Since this was my first time through the recipe I thought I’d do it ‘as is’ once just to see what happens. May stir in more oil tomorrow.

Hey, I don’t know after this many comments if anyone will see what I say…but here goes. I have a Black & Decker food processor of unknown vintage (it was a handmedown) and I had to run it for over 30 minutes to get to a runny stage with the peanuts, and I don’t know that I would consider them liquified at all. However, after 30+ minutes (lordy, that combined with my Kitchenaid going on another project & a 5 year old chasing the puppy! what a racket), I followed the recipe exactly (using all three T of oil) and it is spectacular. So, since it was so very very good, and I’ve been frustrated by the small capacity of my processor (this recipe maxed it out), I guess I’ll be asking for a new & improved one for my birthday!

Deb, I only add this for the benefit of your readers, and not to comment on how much may or may have not been eaten by you and your mom, but I got around to making this today and it yielded about 2 1/4 cups. :)

My husband somehow spotted this post first– literally probably seconds after it was posted– and I silently took note as I pushed for a food processor over the next few weeks. Well– with V-day approaching, still no luck (Does Bed Bath and Beyond have coupons anymore?!).. I was forced to improvise. I used a jam-packed small container of Whole Foods freshly ground peanut butter (The universe hates me– no raw peanuts?!) .. stuck it in my Ninja (yeah- that’s right.. I said Ninja.. glad I didn’t throw away EVERY wedding present I had no idea what to do with)… blended for about 3 minutes or so.. until I would describe the peanut butter to be “liquid”- then another 30-40 seconds for good measure. I didn’t really measure from there.. Started with 1/4 C cocoa and 1/2 C powdered sugar.. probably close to the 2T canola oil.. and added a little of each at a time until it tasted good- probably ending close to the totals SK had.
Dont tease– I added 1/4 C ground flax seed! SHH! I just need to feel a LITTLE less unhealthy while eating it!!! My Ninja couldn’t really grind the flax to a texture fine enough to go unnoticed- but I definitely can’t taste it and the teeny tiny speck-lumps are worth it to me!

Hi Deb,
Made this yesterday with pre-roasted hazelnuts, and it came out great!
It really is like magic- the way they suddenly liquefy.
The nuts were suppused to be unsalted, but when I tasted the spread it was a salty, so I had to add another half a glass of sugar and than the taste was great- much more hazlenutty than regular nutella.
Thanks for a great recipe!

Ahhhhhh, thank-you. I can die in peace. I will never have to painstakingly dip pieces of chocolate into my peanut butter to get my fix. Now I’ll just grab a spoon. If it makes it to the weekend, they will be the filling for my crepes.

Thanks, Deb! Just made the choco-pb spread.. Added some vanilla extract, a capful of Godiva liquer, and a few tablespoons of Nutella. This would be delish on brioche toast with some marshmallow fluff. Yummm….

Sorry, but this is the first recipe I have made of yours that we did not enjoy. We have been eating Nutella for over 20 years, and this tasted nothing like Nutella. I had so hoped this would work out for us, but to my family, this taste like black peanut butter.

As a fellow member of the peanut butter lovers club, I loved this idea and will definitely be making it soon. No fresh peanuts in the house. But I did have almonds, so I roasted some up and substituted for the peanuts. It’s thick, more like the consistency of a natural peanut butter, but amazingly good. Your creativity in the kitchen really inspires me; your humor makes me laugh out loud; and photos of your baby just delight me! Thank you!

ok, after 439 comments I am not sure anyone is going to read this but here goes.I am offically in love with this. I finally perfected the almond version. I toasted 2 cups of almonds at 375 for 15 mins. Ground them up still warm (for klutzes like me, use a kitchen towel over the food processor’s spout to avoid almond meal everywhere). Added a tsp of vanilla, 1 tbsp canola oil and let the processor go for a good 5-6 minutes. I finally saw almond butter (was so happy!!). Stirred in 1/2 cup cocoa and slightly over 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Whirled again. Added 2 more tbsp of canola oil till the mixture looked like ganache or liquid chocolate gold all shiny and beautiful. I refrigerated it and proceeded to eat it everyday for breakfast.

To all of those considering this recipe without the aid of a food processor: GIVE UP NOW. Go buy a food processor. I may or may not have killed my immersion blender trying to MAKE this work without a food processor (we have a Cuisinart mini-prep, which might be too wimpy anyways, but the bowl part completely bit the dust about six months ago and I just haven’t replaced it because how often do I use it??).

I’m going to buy myself a new bowl and blade for the mini-prep and put the grainy mess in the fridge and hopefully I can salvage my beautiful beautiful ingredients.

I did SO consider grinding at Whole Foods when I bought my peanuts – which are DRY roasted, which might be a bit of my problem – but I’m stupid and didn’t.

If you are drooling over this recipe and want a shortcut, I am a big fan of toasting up some baguette, sprinkling a few chocolate chips over the still-hot bread until they are a little bit soft and then spreading a little bit of peanut butter on top. Not nearly as sweet as I imagine this peanutella would be, but definitely good for an on-the-spot peanut butter and chocolate craving. And when the salty sweet chocolate cravings hit me, it’s dangerous for all involved if it takes too much time before I am able to sate them. Although now that I see this recipe I might do some planning ahead for that once a month insanity.

I have been following your blog for several months and decided to make this for my roommate’s birthday present. Like everything else I have attempted on your site, this came out amazing. She said it was definitely her tastiest present ever. Thanks Deb!

I was so looking forward to making this, it looks delicious! How can anyone resist peanuts and chocolate?
I don’t have a real food processor so I used the “food processor” attachment on my immersion blender. Do not do this!! Mine died halway through, so I attempted to use a regular old blender instead. Also a bad idea… After what seemed like an hour of blending I just gave up and added the oil, sugar and cocoa. Blended some more but it just would not liquify properly. I kid you not, I probably used an entire cup of oil with no success. My roommate decided she would take over and poured about a cup of milk in there and it finally started to come together.
Anyway, the point is: use a good food processor and make sure the peanuts have liquified before you add the rest of the ingredients. The end result wasn’t what I was expecting. It wasn’t very chocolatey and it kinda tasted like burnt peanuts even though I barely roasted them. What a disaster. I’ll have to try this again sometime, and make it properly! lol

Just wanted to let you know that this stuff is great used in recipes. I have used it several times in place of peanut butter since when I made it I actually ended up with quite a bit. I made some chocolate no bake cookies (normally made with PB on the stove top, with oatmeal and cocoa). They turned out fantastic – extra chocolately. I also just made some cookies with oatmeal, craisins and chocolate chips. Also extra chocolately. Yum.

@441 – A friend of mine killed her mini-Cuisinart on this recipe! I think this just needs a full-size food processor – my cheapo Hamilton Beach did just fine, although I probably ran it for more like 8-10 minutes. The only cocoa I had kicking around was Hershey’s, though – I could definitely have used a better one. Still good, though!

FYI-I made this for valentine’s day… it is still sitting happily in the refrigerator- tastes just as good today, on May 12, as it did almost 3 months ago. I KNOW- how have we resisted?? I don’t know.. I think the key is to keep it nicely hidden in the back of the bottom shelf… stupid diets.

It seems like nobody has posted this so I thought I’d tell you that this recipe is in the June/July 2011 Reader’s Digest. I don’t have a scanner so I’ll tell you that it say at the top. “Chocolate-Peanut Spread (‘Peanutella’) Deb Perelman, the clever cook behind the Smitten Kitchen blog, creates her version of Nutella.” Then it has the website and the recipe.

I was so excited to make this, but it DID NOT TURN OUT. I *thought* I liquified the nuts (in this case, almonds) but when I added the rest of the ingredients, and let it go in the food processor, it never turned into nutella. I kept letting it process, thinking that it would finally turn out, but it never did. Please HELP!

Thank you for this!! I am allergic to hazelnuts but will definitely trying it out with almonds instead. I’m thinking it will have to be tweaked for the amount of oil that almonds produce vs. the amount peanuts produce. Will research (after I am married, so that I still fit in my wedding dress, of course). Cheers and keep up the good work!

Wow, I’ve made this many times since you first posted this…..and here I am writing in the midst of an apparent failure. It’s always come together very nicely for me, even when making crazy substitutions like using granulated sugar rather than powdered (it’s just a little gritty but still wonderful). So, I planned to make this for serving over ice cream when I have a big family meal tonight, along with hazelnut cookies (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Hazelnut-Cookies-109469) but when I went to make it, the nuts did not liquefy. (Oh, I’ve always made it with hazelnuts because I love me some hazelnuts.) I thought that I hadn’t roasted the nuts enough, so I roasted them more, and tried again. Nope. It made nice nut meal but not liquefied at all. So I started adding peanut oil, and after adding a LOT I have very firm nut butter. Not the kind I can really pour over ice cream! Not sure what to do with this but another kitchen goddess is just about to walk in the door, so I’ll ask her. :-)

Deb – I somehow JUST found this recipe. I am not sure how that is possible?! I just recently went dairy-free for my nursing baby’s sake and it’s been a really hard, treat-free life. When I found this, I just about DIED of happiness!! I put some on rice-crispy treats (that I made with dairy-free margarine) … and then ate the rest right out of my Tupperware. I won’t be able to make it again anytime in the next few weeks because well, I have NO will-power over it. It is AMAZING. Thank you for sharing this. It is DIVINE. You and your recipes are DIVINE. SO very excited for your cookbook.

I just recently made this and it’s AWESOME!!! I had to add more oil to get a spreadable consistency, but it still tastes divine! :-) Thank you! When I store it in the fridge, it gets a tad bit hard but I just let it sit out for a minute so that it spreads nicely.

I made some batches and tried swapping the peanuts and the peanutoil with hazelnuts and hazelnutoil. The glass only lasted an hour or so :-). Be carful, this needs a really powerful processor, I killed my KitchenAid blender with the first batch. Good that they sell spare parts :-)

Totally worth pureeing the nuts in batches as i have a small food processor. After waiting for what seemed like FOREVER (really only about 15 min.) I added the rest of the ingredients and HOLY COW!!! This stuff is AWESOME!!!! Can’t wait to have the kids try it!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!

We just ran out of nutella (on my irish brown bread, made with yogurt, so somewhat healthy?) and I was thinking, can I make nutella with peanuts? we make our own peanut butter in the food processor, why not this? et voila, you save the day. THANK YOU!

Good recipe, but I have some helpful notes. I used honey instead of sugar – around 1/2 cup. One thing that happens with cocoa in the presence of too little water is that it tends to turn the whole thing into a giant gummy mess. The water from the honey is enough to mess this up pretty badly. So – you do *not* need peanut oil here since it only increases the calories. I actually added 1/3rd cup+ of water to get the consistency I was after.

That said, I do think this recipe is actually very healthy. I find it rich enough that I’m not eating the whole bowl of it in one sitting. One possible variation would be to try this recipe with a bit of added silken tofu which would help the consistency somewhat and further reduce the calories/serving. If you think that’s a really weird suggestion, search for an episode of Alton Brown’s Good Eats where he makes a chocolate tofu pie, which is some seriously delicious stuff!

Your recipie is fantastic! I’ve been making this regularly since I discovered it… it purees perfectly in my Cuisinart. Last week all I had was black cocoa… it turned out Halloween-black, but still tasted good!

I made a horrible mistake… I made this for a birthday present for a friend who likes peanut butter and chocolate about as much as I do, and I’m afraid some of this didn’t fit in the jar I chose. So having made the Intensely Chocolate Sables yesterday (click my name for the link to these, on this site), I spread some of the surplus on one of those cookies (which have only gotten better for sitting in an airtight container), and Oh. My. God.

Do you know why they don’t produce this spread commercially? Because it would instantly cause heart disease on a massive scale!

I just made a chocolate-nut spread loosely based on this recipe yesterday, and it is so good, but so rich, I can’t eat too much of it at a time. Though I really want to! I used almonds that I roasted myself, then I really just eyeballed the sugar and cocoa powder amounts, since I didn’t have enough Almonds to make 2 cups. It is quite thick, but since I didn’t have peanut oil, I only used some vegetable oil, but I am nervous about the flavor of that taking over if I add too much of it in. Even though I took a lot of liberties with the recipe (more of a guideline, really), it is so delicious, by itself, on pancakes, in oatmeal. It makes everything more delicious and less healthy. :-) My favorite combination! Thanks for the inspiration!

Ok, just made this. Eating it as I write. AMAZING. If this helps you to go ahead and make it: I’m from Chile, and not even from Santiago, so I don´t have Valrhona chocolate, just some bitter no brand from the supermarket, not even an option to quality of peanuts, not peanut oil. And this is so delicious, I can´t stop myself. I have followed SM for years, have the book, and never commented on anything. And now I’m doing it as I eat. THAT GOOD. I had to use five tbs of oil (sunflower), and 2 cups of peanuts are 100 grs for me. Ñam!

I made this very successfully with hazelnuts. I added the cocoa (Dutch processed) and the sugar two tablespoons at a time just to be safe. I used coconut oil (heated up until it liquified) for moisture and it was perfect; I bet it would be even better with hazelnut oil. I processed the mixture in a blender for a long time and the consistency was very similar to Nutella — not too gritty at all.

Nutella was too expensive here in Philippines, and Im using it for my Cookie Pizza Business. So I’m in need of this recipe. Is it okay if I use Peanut Butter and mix it with Cocoa and Powdered Sugar? If not.. Can I use Blender instead of Food Processor? Thanks for your reply. Well Appreciated!

Don’t remember where or when but I do remember that one taste of the concoction made me forever forget chocolate sauce and instead crave peanut butter fudge sauce. This sounds almost too good to be true. Wow! Thank you. I have a cookie jar that’s over half full. Wanna know with what? Reese’s cups. I love, love, love the taste of peanut butter and chocolate, don’t you? Well, this sounds like the answer to my quest for a delicious pb chocolate fudge sauce. Thanks so very, very much.

Hooray…I’ve just whipped up a half batch and since it’s still warm it’s cooling down in its jar, no lid on yet…I had way less powdered sugar available than even half a batch called for (little more than 1/3 cup) but went for it anyway…BLISS IN A JAR.
Grazie from Italy…Nutella eat your heart out!

I was nervous I wouldn’t properly reach “liquefy”, but it didn’t take as long as I thought (maybe five minutes.) I used store brand roasted unsalted peanuts and Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa and we LOVE the results. And it’s way cheaper to make than the almost $5/jar Peanut Butter Co. stuff we’ve been buying – the same volume of this stuff costs less than $2!